IS, Nusra supporters sentenced to prison

AMMAN — The State Security Court sentenced three citizens to three-year prison terms for their links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front.

In a session early Monday, the court handed the prison terms to Amer Azzam and Shadi Falah for “disseminating and promoting terrorist ideology” via the Internet in violation of articles 3 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Law. 

Shortly before the verdict, the two men pleaded guilty to the charges, stating that they had used social networking websites and applications such as Facebook and WhatsApp to publish pro-IS propaganda and photos.

During the session, Azzam and Falah’s defence attorney Moussa Abdallat asked the court for a lenient sentence, stressing that the defendants “made a mistake” and did not pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s security. 

Under the recently amended law, disseminating or promoting terrorist ideology carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. 

In a separate session, the court sentenced Zarqa resident Nidal Salem to three years in prison for fighting alongside Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front in Syria. 

Salem pleaded guilty to charges of “plotting terrorist acts endangering the Kingdom”, “harming Jordan’s ties with a foreign state” and “illegally crossing into Jordan”.

According to court records, Salem travelled to Turkey in mid-2014 and from there to Aleppo in northern Syria to join the ranks of Al Nusra.

Monday’s verdicts raised to 30 the total number of citizens sentenced to prison for IS ties since the launch of the US-led coalition against the terrorist group in mid-September.

The court is set to hear six cases involving 18 other Jordanians charged with links to IS on December 22.